Princeton, NJ, January 19, 2012–Princeton Theological Seminary announces events in February and March to celebrate Black History Month. Events include a worship service, a discussion on “Defining Blackness,” and a panel on “Words that Wound.”

Highlights include:

• A worship service in Miller Chapel on February 2 at 6:30 p.m. with guest preacher Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.

• A celebratory dinner on February 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the Main Dining Room at a cost of $10.

• A program and dessert reception featuring live performances of poetry and singing on February 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Lounge.

• A showing of Spike Lee’s film Bamboozled on February 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Cooper Conference Room of the Erdman Center, School of Christian Vocation and Mission, 20 Library Place in Princeton.

• A dinner on February 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of The Carl Fields Center, Princeton University, 58 Prospect Street in Princeton. The dinner is free but reservations are a must. Click here to R.S.V.P.

• A showing of Tyler Perry’s film The Family that Preys on February 8 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 1985 of The Carl Fields Center, Princeton University, 58 Prospect Street in Princeton.

• The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture, given by Dr. Obery Hendricks, professor of biblical interpretation at New York Theological Seminary, on February 9 at 8:00 p.m. in Miller Chapel. His lecture is titled “Martin Luther King Jr. and a New Political Economy of Justice.” This is an endowed lecture of the Seminary.

• “Michelle Obama and the Making of a Black President” Seminar on February 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Room 1985 of The Carl Fields Center, Princeton University, 58 Prospect Street in Princeton.

• A showing of Spike Lee’s film School Dayz on February 15 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 1985 of The Carl Fields Center, Princeton University, 58 Prospect Street in Princeton.

• “Who You Calling A _______?” an in-depth panel discussion and breakout groups on “Words that Wound” on February 16 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Stuart Hall, Room 6. There will be a dinner break. This event is sponsored by the Association of Black Seminarians, Koinonia, and the Office of Multicultural Relations.

• A showing of Tyler Perry’s film Madea’s Family Reunion on February 20 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 1985 of The Carl Fields Center, Princeton University, 58 Prospect Street in Princeton.

• A closing worship service on March 1 at 7:00 p.m. in Miller Chapel.

The origins of Black History Month are found in the scholarship of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912. In 1915 Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History). A year later, he founded the widely respected Journal of Negro History and in 1926 initiated the celebration of “Negro History Week” as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of Black people throughout American history. He chose the second week of February in order to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In addition, February marks the birth of W.E.B. DuBois and the death of Malcolm X, and the adoption of the 15th Amendment, giving Black Americans the right to vote.

All the events at Princeton Seminary in celebration of Black History Month are sponsored by the Seminary’s student-led organization, the Association of Black Seminarians, and are open to the public. Click here for more in-depth information or contact Teddy Reeves.

Princeton Theological Seminary was founded in 1812 as the first seminary established by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Celebrating its Bicentennial in 2012, it is the largest Presbyterian seminary in the country, with more than 500 students in six graduate degree programs.